1 Sam 14 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence             The contrast between King Saul and his son Jonathan is one of the primary themes in this chapter along with Saul’s continual decline as a leader in Israel.  While Saul is hiding in a cave from the threat of the nearby Philistines, Jonathan is looking for an opportunity to confront the Philistines on their own turf.  Even though Saul got the credit for the victory over the…

Romans 4 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson             After Paul discussed the grace of God in the gospel at the end of chapter 3,  he stated that God’s righteousness is apart from the law.  Paul even posed the question in 3:31, “Do we then overthrow the law by this faith?” Paul may feel a need to explain how a person is justified.  Paul uses Abraham, the great patriarch of Genesis.  He is clearly counted as…

1 Samuel 13 by Pastor David Groendyk The people of Israel have finally recognized their foolishness in desiring a king for themselves (12:19), and it’s not long before the damning cracks start forming in their brand new king, thus leading God to reject Saul as king over Israel. Saul will win more battles as his time goes on, but from this point onward, he’s a lame duck king who has irrevocably lost God’s favor. Right…

I Samuel 12 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson             Samuel’s farewell address is deeply personal and theological.  He begins in vs. 1-5 declaring his innocence before all Israel and asking them to respond.  They respond that Samuel has been not stolen from them, defrauded them, or oppressed them nor has he accepted any bribe.             Samuel then provides a summary of their history from Egypt to the present.  This is a selective summary.  In fact,…

1 Samuel 11 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence            Oh, what could have been! Reading this short snippet at the beginning of Saul’s tenure as king, we are inspired by his bravery, clemency and zeal for the Lord.  It seems as if the people were right after all in wanting a king of their own, for Saul steps up to the challenge and defends the tribes of Israel from enemies foreign and domestic.            Following in…

1 Samuel 10 by Pastor David Groendyk This chapter is the fulfillment of God’s revelation to Samuel in 9:16—Saul is anointed and elected king over Israel. Saul is a perplexing and polarizing figure, both for Israel and for us. He has the Spirit of the Lord rush upon him, but he has already been called a king like every other nation; he is turned into a new man, but he still acts cowardly; he is…

I Samuel 9 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson             In I Samuel, we can divide the book into these three subjects: Samuel chapters 1-8 Saul      chapters 9-15 David   chapters 16-31             Even though Samuel continues to play a big role in this book, we now look at Saul, the first king of Israel.  This is a rather unusual way to introduce the first King of Israel.  Saul comes from a rather well-to-do family.  His positive…

1 Samuel 8 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence             After God’s judgment came down upon the house of Eli, there is great hope for the young man Samuel whom God raises up to serve as both priest and judge over Israel, but, sadly, his sons aren’t any better than Eli’s, for they are said to have turned aside after gain in their role as judges taking bribes and perverting justice.  It is this moral failure demonstrated…

1 Samuel 7 Devotional by Pastor David Groendyk The ark of the covenant, originally stolen while in battle with the Philistines, has finally finished its circuitous journey and been returned to Israel. But the real question is, Has Israel learned its lesson from the judgment of chapter 4? What is a proper response to their humiliating defeat at the hands of the Philistines? Apparently, about 20 years have passed since that major defeat in chapter…

I Samuel 6 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson             In I Samuel, we can divide the book into these three subjects: Samuel chapters 1-8 Saul      chapters 9-15 David   chapters 16-31 We find a fascinating chapter with paganism and disobedient Israelites together.  Hannah’s prayer in chapter 2 is often called an introduction to the themes of Samuel’s book, we will discover those themes in this chapter.  In this chapter we find: Heavy Hand of God 6:1-9     …

1 Samuel 5 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence            It almost seems risky for the Lord to discipline his people by allowing their enemies to overcome them in battle, for those enemies always assume that it was the hand of their own god who gave them the victory.  Clearly, that is the conclusion the Philistines reached after slaughtering thirty-four thousand Israelites on the battlefield as recorded in the previous chapter.  They firmly believed that their own…

1 Samuel 4 Pastor David Groendyk This chapter is a low-point in the first section of 1 Samuel which focuses on Samuel as a prophet, priest, and judge. So far we’ve seen the sorry state of the spiritual leadership Israel has in the form of Eli and his two sons, and we’ve seen God working his redemptive plans in the midst of darkness in the form of Samuel. Chapter 4 is a form of God’s…

I Samuel 3 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson             We could label this chapter the calling of Samuel since the word call appears 11 times in this chapter.  As exciting as Samuel’s appearance is for the nation of Israel, we are also saddened to see Eli’s end of life failures.  God is speaking to a 12-year-old (or so) instead of Eli.  After reading the scathing denunciation of Eli’s sons we understand but why God followed…

1 Samuel 2 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence The Lord “brings low and he exalts,” is just one of the notes of praise that comes out of the mouth of Hannah in the beginning of this chapter, but it also serves to demonstrate what is happening in the rest of the chapter.  Because Eli had honored his sons above the Lord and thereby had despised the Lord’s offerings, the Lord would esteem him and his household…

1 Samuel 1 by Pastor David Groendyk Historically speaking, the books of 1–2 Samuel follow immediately after the book of Judges which describes Israel’s failure to conquer Canaan and subsequent downward spiritual spiral into idolatry. The repeated description of Israel in the book of Judges was, “There was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Israel desperately needed a leader in those days, and, in fact, did have a…

Haggai 2 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson                        In the hymn “Angels, from the Realms of Glory, the third stanza includes this phrase, “Seek the great Desire of nations, Ye have seen His natal star.”  This fist phrase Seek the great Desire of nations is taken from Haggai 2:7.  The hymn writer believes that Haggai 2:7 refers to Christ.  I think you can easily discern from reading this entire chapter that  this is not what…

Haggai Ch.1 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence              Containing only two chapters and 1130 words, Haggai is the second shortest book in the Old Testament after Obadiah, both of which are included in the section of the Bible known as the Minor Prophets not because they are of lesser importance but because they are shorter in length.  Haggai, the man, is also the first of three postexilic prophets (those ministering to the Jews returning from the…

Zephaniah 3 by Pastor David Groendyk The prophecy of Zephaniah is an extended meditation on and explanation of the Day of the Lord, the day when God would come to visit his people. Chapter 3 is the glorious conclusion and an unexpected reversal of what has come before. Although it starts with a sober warning of judgment, it ends on a note of salvation and joy. In verses 1–8, God promises judgment upon… Judah! God’s…

Zephaniah 2 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson                        In James Boice’s commentary on the Minor Prophets he reminds his readers that Zephaniah is not lauded as a great prophet.  Ewald writes, “With the prophet Zephaniah we meet for the first time a considerable diminution of prophetic originality.”  J.M. Powis Smith writes, “Zephaniah can hardly be considered great as a poet.  He does not rank with Isaiah, nor even with Hosea in this particular.  He has…

Zephaniah 1 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence            The prophet Zephaniah was a contemporary of Jeremiah and denounced the ubiquitous idolatry of the people in the city of Jerusalem during the early years of King Josiah’s reign in Jerusalem (640-609 BC) prior to the young king’s reformation/restoration in 622-621 BC as depicted in 2 Chronicles 34:3.  Because of the great religious and moral corruption of God’s people arrogantly bowing down to Baal even in God’s own…

Jonah 4 by Pastor David Groendyk I’m sure you know the fairy tale stories of Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, and many others. But are you sure you know the whole stories? A lot of those fairy tales end a lot darker than we remember. At the end of Little Red Riding Hood, for example, the girl and her grandmother both get eaten by the wolf and the woodsman/hunter shows up and actually…